Endorphins, Oxytocin and Pheromones
by Clockwork Echo
Summary: [Nivanfield] In a dangerous game of attraction, not even the most brilliant mind can completely break down the formula of "love".
1. New Breath

So, this is my first Resident Evil story. Was a bit inspired by the idea of Chris being a doctor – a different way of saving lives but I still wanted to attach his military background to his impressive résumé of being the head of surgery with several success stories. I think I really like this new, gruffer angle of Chris where he smokes and drinks. Knowing him and all the paperwork he has to go through and all the patients he sees he'll be stressed out and having to experience middle age.

Anyway, hope you guys like it and enjoy reading!

**C.E.**

* * *

><p><strong>One: New Breath<strong>

Grey streams of smoke colored the darkening sky, the dreary shade contrasting against the bright, warm pink, orange, yellow and indigo as the sun was being lulled to sleep. It curled about playfully before dissipating completely, out of sight and mind. Another successful surgery had been completed that day, the patient and their family remaining in the hospital with baited breath despite the good news that had been delivered to them a few hours ago. Chris tapped at the new cigarette butt he slid between his chapped lips that evening, using his other hand to remove his reading glasses and slide them into his breast pocket. Releasing a calm yawn, the surgeon felt his phone vibrate, jarring him from his much needed break.

Retrieving it and not bothering to look at the caller ID, he answered, "Yeah."

"Dr. Redfield, you're needed at your office."

'_No rest for the weary,_' he thought, shifting the dying butt to the other side of his lip, "Okay. Be there in five." Ending the conversation, he smothered what remained of the sweet nicotine in a nearby ashtray before he palmed a small container of breath mints, quickly popped one in his mouth and then turned to go back inside.

Strolling about the long, whitewashed halls of Juno Hospital, Chris Redfield, a renowned surgeon, took his time to make his way back to his office since he had to cut his break a few minutes shorter than he wanted. He knew what was waiting for him at his destination: paperwork. He was reluctant despite knowing it had to be done, which just made the task all the more dreadful to go through. Passing by the reception desk, one of the new hires caught his attention for a moment.

"Doctor, this came in for you. Mr. and Mrs. Parker are here and would like to speak with you about their daughter's condition."

"Okay, I'll get to that now before I drop these off at my office." He replied, tucking the manila folder under his arm, sliding his other hand into the pocket of his white coat, his hollow steps sounding down another long hallway to one of the various visiting rooms. The parents were more than relieved once he approached them. He shook the father's hand, his larger palm enveloping the smaller one with ease and even moreso with the mother.

"Evening."

"How…how is she?"

"Slow and steady recovery; her surgery is in fourteen hours, and I will be the one to perform it," Chris nodded, craning his neck just enough to feel the knot come undone. "All that we're going to do is carefully flush out the blood that has flooded her left lung, and once that is done I'll be able to remove the dead tissue and quickly sew her up."

His demeanor maintained a calm air as he explained his method of action; he was known for being informing his patient's family of what he was going to do just so they were all on the same page. He never felt he had a reason to withhold any information, and was more than happy to offer as much as he could within legal boundaries.

He noticed how nervous the couple was and reassured them he was going to do his best in this surgery because failure was never an option with him.

"Thank you, Dr. Redfield. We're so grateful that you're going to take good care of our daughter." The mother, Mina, gave him a shaky smile, tears filling the corners of her eyes to the brim. She couldn't help but hug Chris, surprising the burly man, but he gracefully reciprocated the embrace, patting her back and pulling away to nod to the two of them.

"Patricia will be good as new; I will make sure of it. Now, if you'll excuse me, if you have any other questions, you can refer them to my nurse or leave them with my secretary. Have a good night you two, I will see you in the morning." Making his exit, Chris then tended to the file that was still pressed against his side.

Reaching his office, Deborah Harper, his secretary greeted him with a content smile. "Evening, Doctor."

"Miss Harper."

"Miss Valentine left a message again tonight; she was inquiring about your availability tonight."

"Dinner?" Chris swiftly removed his lab coat as he opened his door, holding it ajar with his foot and leaning in to place it on the rack nearby.

"Yes. She was proposing at ten-thirty."

He furrowed his eyebrows, grimacing at the stack of paperwork sitting in the tray upon her desk, his name marked upon the apparatus that housed the documents. "Thanks, I'll call her." He managed to get his doorstopper in time to keep the door open without his foot then, moving to get the heavy tray and then closed the door behind him.

Setting the tray down at the left-hand corner of the fine oaken wood, Chris released a long exhale and slid the manila folder into the center of the desk, moving around to practically throw himself into the soft leather seat. "Fuck." He muttered as he rubbed his temple using his forefinger and thumb, moving the pads in a circular pattern in a poor attempt to alleviate the oncoming headache.

Kicking his feet up onto the smooth surface, Chris sank into his chair, already feeling his muscles slowly relax from all the tension they had stored up despite his earlier cigarette break. His hand lay atop the manila folder, his curiosity beginning to whirl as he flipped it open to gaze at the contents. Inside was what appeared to be a letter of recommendation—he assumed a profile and a stapled résumé would be underneath it. Quirking an eyebrow, he brought the pile closer by holding it in both of his hands.

His eyes scanned over the letter:

_Dr. Christopher Redfield,_

_ It is with great pleasure that I highly recommend you hire another surgeon to fill the open spot in your Eastern Wing Division. The Board of Directors finds his qualifications and large amount of experience can be of great use to you in your new establishment. I would be honored for you to accept Dr. Piers Nivans as part of your ever growing staff; I assure you that you would not be disappointed if you are able to employ him. I have absolutely no hesitations or second thoughts as I have personally written this letter of recommendation for him as per his request, and especially do this as you and I have known one another for quite some time now. Please look into Dr. Nivans' credentials and see if he is fit for your division at Juno Hospital. Thank you._

_Respectfully,_

_Dr. Robin Torrence_

_Titan Hospital_

Chris noticed the familiar wax symbol at the bottom of the parchment paper, knowing it was easy to recognize this as pure and authentic. Furrowing his brows, he set the manila folder down on his desk again, leaving his open as he pulled out his phone to dial Jill's number.

After two rings, she picked up.

"Chris."

"Jill."

"I might run late—paperwork."

"If you had gotten that done earlier this week, you wouldn't have to deal with a mountain of it."

He smirked in response to her gentle teasing before shaking his head, "Ha ha. What's the occasion for dinner? You hardly have time for something like this ever since your promotion."

Jill had recently become an ambassador for the United Nations, quickly going through the ranks with her strong linguistics background. Chris couldn't be happier for her, but was surprised that she had time to leave him a message ever since she told him that she started her new job two years ago. He knew she had placed her career before everything else, rightly so, and hearing from her was pleasant.

"I had just flown in from Prague last week; we were establishing some agreements and I was there as a liaison between the two countries. So I thought I'd pay you a visit since I'll be here in Raccoon for a couple weeks."

"Okay. I could spare some time for dinner before my surgery tomorrow morning."

"Surgery?"

"Lung surgery on one of my patients. A teenage girl."

"Busy playing hero, aren't you?"

"Look who's talking."

The two laughed mutually as they caught up for a few more minutes, eventually bidding each other goodbye. Chris glanced at the file once more before loosening his tie, deciding the "Leaning Tower of Pisa" had priority tonight if he planned to only make Jill wait half an hour longer than she requested. Clearing his throat, the surgeon set to work, all the more motivated that his reward for doing his paperwork was dinner and a beer. He kept trying to bring down the large pile as he worked diligently, taking the manila folder and sliding it into his briefcase to read through later.

He still couldn't believe that he had known Jill for about fifteen years now, having met her in college when he had to travel out of state for school due to also training to be an Air Force pilot. They were both nineteen then, fresh meat in university despite their radically different majors somehow found themselves creating a close friendship. His pursuit for a medical degree while also serving as an Air Force pilot certainly kept him busy, but they somehow managed to make time for one another; it paid off when after eight years of serving he was honorably discharged, spending the next eleven years in the field of medicine to perfect his craft as a surgeon. Looking at that length of time reminded him of the bits of grey hair that was starting to show in his natural dark mahogany.

The rest was history, predictably.

After getting through more than half of the pile, Chris stood to stretch his tired muscles, craning his neck. He would complete his paperwork tomorrow after a break from the surgery, for sure this time. He moved to begin closing up his office, grabbing his briefcase and turning to lock his door, bidding his secretary good night. He checked his watch again once he exited the hospital, trying to get to his car as quickly as possible to meet up with Jill.


	2. Rebel

On with the tale, we go. Enjoy~

**C.E.**

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><p><strong>Two: Rebel<strong>

The surgery was going well so far; Chris' hands were as steady as they normally were, carefully draining out the fluid that was beginning to overwhelm the delicate lung he intended to save. One of his assistants calmly monitored the BPM machine, "Vitals are stable, doctor." He nodded in response as he held out his hand for a scalpel, quickly handed one with little hesitation. He announced to the small group of nurses and doctors that he was ready to begin removing the dead tissue of Patricia's lung. A nurse was quick on standby, holding a sanitized metal pan to hold the excess tissue, having also cleaned the scale where she needed to place it thereafter.

"Beginning to cut now," Chris started, applying pressure towards the wet organ, noticing the blood pouring out of the wound. Gauze was immediately pressing into it, a smaller vacuum tube following thereafter. Chris narrowed his eyes as he took his time to remove the tissue, and each time he had, hands were ready to receive it and place it in a nearby metal pan. The steady beeps was the only sound in the room thus far; his nurse, Lauren, calmly inspected Chris' focused cutting before turning away to check the fluids that were being fed through Patricia's IVs to make sure they weren't running low.

With the surgery coming to a close, Chris asked for the materials to begin sewing his patient back up again, Lauren quickly mentioning that the tissue and amount of removal that was extracted were average numbers.

"One-third of the lung has been removed—that's all dead tissue, Dr. Redfield."

"Alright then, do inform the Parkers that I will speak with them in a few minutes once I'm done sewing their daughter up."

Lauren left at once, removing her gloves as soon as she stepped outside of the double doors, also removing her mask. Padding her way down the longwinded hall, she approached the tired couple and was happy to give them what Chris had her deliver.

Chris released a long sigh just before raising his cigarette to his lips again; the tension in his shoulders and neck crept back upon him again, causing him to maneuver enough for him to try and relax. As happy as he was for the Parkers, he knew Patricia's recovery was a long journey for the young fifteen year old. Her rare disease did not make it any easier upon the family of three, but he was content with the fact he was able to help lift a bit of their burden and hoped he would not have to cut any more of her lungs than he already had. Attempting to change his state of mind, he looked out at the window of the bar table he was seated at, watching the rain begin to coat the thick glass with moisture.

The rain began to pick up which caused the surgeon to frown deeply, muttering a brief curse since he knew he shouldn't have ignored the forecast warnings of possible rain. It was mid-April, however, and living in Raccoon it wasn't often that it would rain. Hard, anyway. Chris quietly nursed his gin before reaching for another onion ring, unfazed by the piping hot temperature that briefly seared his tongue as he chewed it, deep in contemplation. It wasn't often that he hadn't kept in close contact with his sister, Claire; she had last announced that she was pregnant—a boy. He was happy for her and couldn't believe she wanted to name him after their father, but knew at the same time it seemed appropriate. Their father was a good man and raised his children as best his could since the loss of their mother, and before Chris entered medical school their father had fallen ill. Claire was but a teenager then, a sophomore, and took his death very hard, but Chris managed what he could to finish what their dad had started.

He was certain he could hear his sister chiding him again sometime soon.

_"When are you finally gonna get hitched, Chris? You can't marry your stethoscope, silly!"_ He recalled her telling him last year after his birthday. He playfully nudged her back after stuffing her face with some of his cake, telling her that he could marry his scope if he damn well wanted to.

He couldn't help but feel a little lonely, but that came naturally for a man his age. He didn't need to be reminded that he was thirty-eight years old and certainly not getting any younger as the days slugged onward. Chris scoffed to himself, however, tipping his head back and nailing the rest of his gin with ease just as another glass was set down as a quick replacement.

"From a friend." Kim, the bartender, winked and added his tab has been paid for.

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, Chris made no move to grasp the offering at first, deciding to shove more onion rings in his face instead. He felt a vibration against his leg, swiftly retrieving his phone and answering in one motion, "Redfield."

"The annual performance review and recruit is tomorrow. Trinity Med students are gonna come by storm for a demonstration on the field. You ready?" He could sense there was a smirk in the question from the other caller, who just so happened to be his colleague during his Master's program: a brain surgeon named Victor Garrison.

"Don't remind me, you bastard." Chris shot back mid-chew and leaned back in his chair to gaze at the ceiling, giving him an opportunity to scope out the one who purchased another glass of gin that evening. No one seemed to stick out until he saw a woman lock eyes with him before turning away ungracefully, her position upon the barstool across the room suddenly uncomfortable. He smirked to himself as he carried on the conversation, '_Bingo._'

"So I got Trinity Med, what are you getting over at Titan?"

"Solaria."

"Good luck dealing with those stuck up brats."

"Very funny—you know Trinity Med is full of kids that can't hold the contents of their stomachs. And that's with _cadavers_ and _cats_."

"I'd rather deal with squeamish children with ambition than little bitches with bigger wallets. Passion over price, Garrison."

"Touché, Redfield." The other man chuckled, giving up their friendly banter.

Chris continued to keep an eye on the woman who still hadn't moved from her place at the bar, eventually closing up his conversation after glancing at the time upon his watch. He needed to be at the hospital early with some amount of sleep this time, grimacing at the fact there was also paperwork there waiting for him like a nagging spouse. Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Chris sighed a moment before reaching for the glass that was coated with condensation, evidence it had been ignored.

He downed it without hesitation and slipped his last onion ring in between his lips as he got up to leave a tip for Kim. After tossing a couple bills down he waved and bid her goodnight, subtly weaving his fingertips through the soft auburn locks of the woman in question, sparing a hardly noticeable glance at her before slipping out the door. The rain was still beating down hard upon the concrete as he walked, letting himself be soaked until he felt the pitter patter become shielded by an umbrella that was placed above his head.

"Most women don't pick up on men in a dreary, dark bar if they see rain as a factor." He coolly commented, still looking straight ahead as his "companion" kept up with his walking pace.

"If you're into extensions, silicone implants and smeared makeup, that is."

Chris raised an eyebrow in response before smiling and shaking his head. "A diversion. Classy. Think I don't have someone at home?"

A laugh, "No wedding ring—not even a tan or any small remnant of the sort. If you had a girlfriend waiting, you'd be rushing home to have her. Correct me if I'm wrong."

Chris couldn't help but widen his smile, impressed by how observant his mysterious person was. "Well, we aren't nervous teenagers. What do you want?"

The two turned another corner, walking down a long lane as cars passed them by, the night winding down. Eventually the other figure moved further as Chris' steps began to dwindle until he came to a complete stop, glancing up at a local motel that was a couple miles from his condo. The figure stood across from him then, the umbrella shielding their chest and upward until they finally revealed themselves.

The male couldn't look any older than thirty, maybe even twenty-five at the youngest. "To play…interested?" His full, pouted lips gave him away, however, along with his high cheekbones and elongated neck.

Rough kisses and touches were exchanged as Chris and his "friend" stumbled into the room, the man using his foot to slam the door behind them as they made their way to the full-size bed. Chris turned to shove the other man onto the bed as he removed his coat, tossing it onto the chair near the lamp that beheld a soft glow, making the room bright but not enough to produce too many overwhelming shadows as he took his time to gaze upon his bedmate for the night. The other male looked up at him and the two finally got to see each other for the first time.

He had a few edgy-looking piercings; the designs were asymmetrical, his left having a dragon ear cuff that coiled around the cartilage with the metallic tail sticking through the lobe, and a smaller bead earring was on the tragus. His right ear was more decorated; there was a black half cylinder that cupped most of his helix, a dark navy gauge in his lob and a single silver ring on his upper helix, just above the half cylinder one. Even his hair had a bit of an edge to it despite the light-brown color, but his front bangs defied gravity being flipped upward thanks to the application of hair gel.

But what really attracted Chris to him were the irises of his eyes. They were a solid whiskey hue, yet possessed a rich amount of caramel that seemed to rival a bronze tinge. They were flirty and demure despite how lustful they appeared tonight. Chris began to unbutton his pressed shirt and loosened his tie as he watched the other male remove his shirt in one breath, tossing it behind him.

"We don't have to go by names unless you want."

"Oh?" Chris moved to kneel in front of the other male and spread his thighs apart, working on the belt of his trousers.

"Real identities in encounters like these often lead to attachment."

"Fair enough. You've come to play, Rebel."

"Rebel, huh?" The man liked his newfound "name" as he stopped Chris halfway to lean down and kiss him again, moving to nip his lower tier as his fingertips danced about his neck until they combed through his short, wet locks. "Okay. You can be Leo, handsome." He heard Chris growl in response, immediately taking to his nickname as he stole more kisses until he pulled away, letting him finish what he started with his pants.

Chris buried his nose and lips against Rebel's pelvis, deeply inhaling sweat, rain and a faint scent of cologne, recognizing it as a brand he had recently smelled over a week ago at a local mall. He placed a storm of kisses against him and was turned on by the breathy pants he could hear above him as he kissed and licked him, eventually moving to sink his teeth into the blushing flesh to leave little markings behind until he finally pulled his pants all the way down to his ankles. Chris couldn't help but tease Rebel as he saw his obvious erection that demanded attention, the warm appendage pushing against the cotton, grey boxers.

"Fucking tease…" Rebel commented, a hushed chuckle escaping his parted lips as he kept watching Chris take his time until he gently nudged his hips forward to egg him on.

Chris offered not an apology, but instead a fox grin as he pulled the boxers down and removed the rest of his clothing entirely, his mouth latching onto the pulsating girth without warning.

"Fuck!"

Chris pumped the lower part of his shaft with his rough hand as he worked the tip, sliding the flat of his tongue along the slit. He took in a few inches, slowly, but wanted to savor this unique tryst tonight, glad to be able to unravel the tense muscles in his shoulders and arms with an attractive bedmate. He didn't have trysts often and actually preferred not to with people from any of the bars he regularly attended, but making an exception this time seemed to be very beneficial tonight.

"Leo…" Rebel panted as his hand clutched Chris' scalp, beginning to drown in the amount of pleasure he was experiencing. He stiffened suddenly when Chris weighed his sac, and massaging it with just enough pressure to make him shiver. He bit his lower lip hard as he began to gently thrust his hips forward in an attempt to gain more friction.

Chris used his other hand to grasp Rebel's hip, encouraging the thrusting as he moved to swallow his warm appendage with little difficulty until he let the other man practically fuck his face. The shift in control quickened the pace of their intimacy, the room growing hotter as the seconds ticked away. Rebel's grip tightened even more, moans beginning to escape as he reached the precipice of his climax; using both hands he pulled Chris in and kept his nose pressed up against his pelvis as he let go, soaking in the euphoric high that made his fingertips go numb for a few moments.

Chris was beginning to see spots and moved to squeeze Rebel's hip until he felt him being pushed backward enough for their eyes to come into visual contact again. Their pupils were diluted as they just watched one another, Chris placed a kiss on Rebel's knee before licking his lip to swallow the remainder of semen that slipped down his chin. He stood up to unbuckle his belt and shove his pants and boxers down with haste, a naughty grin crossing his masculine features, "Pitcher, or catcher?"

Rebel licked his upper lip first before looking at the impressive girth Chris was sporting. It pointed upward but had a blunt head, the shaft strained and hungry. "Down on all fours like the lion you are."

The commanding glint in his eye was enough to drive Chris to obey as he moved past the other man, taking his time to crawl to the center of the bed, turning to glance over his shoulder. "Come and get it. My _treat_."

Ever eager, Rebel coated his fingers with his own saliva and made a point he was more than ready to fuck, he inserted two digits into the warm anal canal that begged for penetration. The technique that he had made Chris writhe in response, growing more and more aroused. Squelching sounds echoed off the bare walls of the motel room, creating beads of sweat on his forehead as he gasped and grunted, slowing losing himself in the heat of the friction of Rebel's fingers.

Rebel spanned his hand over the broadness of Chris' back, tracing his fingertips along the expanse of his tattoo that covered most of his back, shoulders and pectorals. He placed a trail of kisses like breadcrumbs, his fingers still moving in and out of the warm cavity to keep Chris on edge. "Nice ink, Leo…" The tattoo was definitely done by a steady hand; there appeared to be clockwork gears and cogs that were styled like they were animated, each piece joined together. Most of it was colored black except for the pair of spiritual wings that were tattooed on his left scapula—those were white to contrast the cogs. He kissed the wings and withdrew his fingers, pulling away to retrieve a condom in his wallet.

Slipping it on, Rebel took control and dug his fingers into Chris' hips and thrust into his hole, earning a strained moan from the man below him. Rebel pressed his chest against Chris' back as he took his time to savor the delicious friction their bodies were creating together, squeezing harder on his hips enough to bruise without serious injury.

"Fuck…" Chris whispered as he was being pulled and pushed along the sheets, closing his eyes to focus on the stimulation his prostate was receiving, tightening his palms in response to the sensationally ruthless onslaught of his bedmate. He hadn't been laid in months, and this chance encounter wasn't something he planned but he didn't regret a moment as Rebel continued, their flesh slapping together in a sloppy manner. Rebel leaned forward to nibble on Chris' ear, licking the helix and inside of the canal while whispering dirty nothings to make his toes curl enough to whiten the balls of his feet.

"So good—"

"Harder. Mother_fucker_."

Rebel obliged and teasingly pinched one of Chris' nipples, speeding up their pace to reach the end. He came first, Chris following minutes later, his semen coating the sheets and his torso; Rebel roughly turned Chris over and kissed him, moving down to lick some of his thick essence like it was a dessert.

In the afterglow, Rebel rolled over to dispose of the condom and moved to sit up against his elbow. His full lips curled into a confident smirk, "Meeeow." Chris couldn't help but laugh, covering his face and the soft embarrassment that colored his cheeks with his hand, telling the man that lay next to him to shut up. He sat up to get the pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket, snapping his wrist up to pop a single cancer stick out and lit it, relieved. He let a curious hum rumble in the base of his throat when he heard Rebel ask for one himself, Chris turning to toss the pack to him before getting it back.

"Lucky Strike, huh?"

"Mmhmm."

"I'd say you lucked out tonight, Leo."

"You know it, Rebel."

Chris moved to pull his phone out of his pants pocket, narrowing his eyes and muttering a curse. "Listen, sorry to slip out early, but I got work in a few hours…"

Rebel sat up as Chris was putting on his clothing, "Damn."

Chris agreed and made his way to the door despite feeling the welcomed aches and pains in his body. Just as he turned to bid Rebel goodnight, he was surprised to find the other man behind him at lightning speed, pulling Chris in by his loose tie and succeeded in pressing his lips against the other man's. Rebel pulled back to lick a corner of Chris' lips, his hands smoothing his shirt and nudged his umbrella against his chest.

"It's still raining outside. Be safe on your way home, Leo."

Bashful, Chris couldn't help but grin and kissed Rebel's forehead, whispering goodnight against his warm flesh.

* * *

><p>"Doctor?"<p>

"Hm?"

"Trinity Medical University students will be here in about an hour. Go ahead and do your rounds, I will page you." Lauren gingerly patted Chris' shoulder and took note of his tired expression. She was certain a hard-working man like him just had a rough night being buried in paperwork and whatever other concerns were going on in his life.

The exhausted surgeon yawned without any attempt to cover his mouth and trudged down the halls of Juno Hospital. Last night put him in a daze; he hadn't had sex like that in a long time, much less sex at all. Going without for months definitely put him on edge, and that chance encounter did more than just satisfy his physical needs. Sometimes he hated having so much work to do, but he shrugged it off and was immediately stopped by the pager that nagged for attention in his pocket. His phone went off seconds later and he picked it up.

"Redfield."

"Doctor, it's Deborah."

"Yes, Ms. Harper?"

"Dr. Nivans is here. His interview with you is this morning, remember?"

Chris turned away and murmured a quick "fuck" but recovered to let Deborah know he was on his way. Completely forgetting about Dr. Nivans' interview just threw a bigger wrench into his already ridiculously busy day. Perfect. He moved to glance at his watch and quickly noticed his watch was nowhere to be found on his wrist like he expected it to be. Refusing to dwell on it long, Chris practically jogged his way back to his office, stopping at Deborah's desk nearby.

"He's sitting in your office, and his file is in your briefcase, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

Deborah smiled and gestured her boss to the door that was closed before him. Chris shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair, drawing a quick breath and opened the door.

The doctor in question turned around in his seat to greet his interviewer, offering him a cheshire grin. "Good morning, Dr. Redfield."

Chris' mouth lay agape once he laid his eyes upon the candidate. Whiskey caramel eyes, light-brown locks, pouted, bow shaped lips.

'_Fuck. Me._'


	3. The First Day

Omg! The lovely **Emil Lime** reviewed my story! *blush* I'm so happy they stopped by and took time to review it. I've got some good stuff in this chapter and am hoping to make time to slowly write longer chapters as this story progresses.

You guys should check out their amazing story **Under Fire** as well as many of their other fics. They're a very talented writer~

On with the story!

**C.E.**

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><p><strong>Three: The First Day<strong>

"I take it you slept well last night?" Piers couldn't help himself as he maintained eye contact with the other surgeon who stood in his doorway, hand clenching the knob enough to make it creak. He watched Chris close his office door after a few more minutes of staring, attempting to regain his composure and failing miserably instead. He managed to muster a chuckle as Chris walked past him and seemed to have thrown himself into his office chair, a hand covering his mouth to try and suppress the oncoming blush that was coloring his cheeks.

"Didn't know you were a regular at The Sapphire."

"I…" Chris was at a loss for words; here he was, already stumbling and uncomfortable. He _slept_ with a potential co-worker the night before his interview with him, and for all he knew, everyone else in the hospital may or may not already know that.

This couldn't be happening right now. He had to be unconscious. He couldn't even lie to himself and believe he didn't enjoy their impulsive encounter. Fear and excitement welled in his stomach and made him lightheaded. The very man who mounted him sat no more than a foot across from him and his throat was dry, his mind completely blank.

"Dr. Redfield?"

"Um, right. Sorry." Chris coughed to try and clear his throat, remembering that despite their…unusual circumstances, he needed to remain professional since they were in a very busy hospital.

"That's alright…take your time. I'm sure this is a _lot_ to process."

Piers was soaking up every bit that Chris was feeling embarrassed. Chris decided now would be the time to retrieve the file he was supposed to have read the day before; flipping past the recommendation letter, he quickly scanned over the profile:

**Full Legal Name:** Piers Emiliano Nivans

**Date of Birth: **February 29, 1987

**Height:** 5' 11" / 180 centimeters

**Weight:** 175 lbs. / 79.3 kilograms

**Blood Type:** A+

**Occupation(s):** Current; Heart Surgeon (newly certified), alumni of Mercury Phoenix Medical University (Suma Cum Laude)

**Family**

**Father: **4 Star General Maverick William Nivans

**Mother:** Vera Timeri Nivans (neé Kuznetsov)

**Brother:** Lieutenant Derrick Alexander Nivans (age 25)

**Brother:** Talon Yury Nivans (age 20)

Chris flipped the page to look over his credentials, his eyebrows rising subtly into his hairline. After a moment of silence, Chris finally looked up at the other man across his desk. "Let's just cut to the chase," he started, seeing Piers nod in response, waiting for him to continue. "You could run your own division at any one of Galaxy's main hospitals be it Titan, Juno, Proteus, or Callisto. So why are you here to fill my position of another specialized surgeon?"

That familiar cheshire grin returned, and it just made Chris uneasy again.

"Well," Piers stood up to lean across the desk, his hand reaching forward to caress his fingertips down Chris' Adam's apple, watching it bob nervously. "I don't think I'm ready for that. I also know that by applying here, I could learn from a fellow veteran soldier…among other things." His statement after his reason lingered as his hand trailed downward to caress Chris' striped tie. Taking a firm grip upon the silk material, Piers tugged it out of the confines of the other man's vest, pulling it enough to get its owner to follow.

Their noses touched at just the tips, Piers' gaze bore deep into Chris', the latter blushing hard enough to make a cherry jealous. "Ever since I graduated Suma Cum Laude, I've wanted to work with you. I wouldn't mind if it was beneath you, as a loyal subordinate." With the clear implications hanging in the air between them, he couldn't resist any longer and stole a kiss, pressing his lips against Chris' to reignite the fire they had created from the night before. He took the lead and nipped enough to pull a soft groan from the other surgeon, tasting his unique flavor. Cigarettes and coffee, a hint of cinnamon. He had to remind him that last night wasn't a dream, that the man he had affectionately named "Rebel" was the same one that was currently kissing him in the middle of his job interview. Piers didn't give a damn about any rules and regulations; part of the fun was to break them, to push the envelope, bend limitations to the point of snapping.

To say he found Chris attractive would be a drastic understatement.

As he pulled away, he was satisfied to see how breathless Chris was, pulling back just before Chris could attempt getting another kiss, dangling a very familiar watch in front of him. He blinked in order to focus his vision upon the item he noticed was missing from his wrist, "You forgot this, by the way." Piers set the accessory on top of his personal file and relinquished Chris' tie from his dominating grip, moving his hand to tilt his chin up to hold his attention using only his index finger.

"So. Any other valid reasons not to hire me, Dr. Redfield?"

Chris cleared his throat, "N-No…"

"Wonderful. I would be more than happy to start right now then."

Offering a sly wink, Piers released Chris' chin with a gentle hush, leaving a smoldering touch upon his lips as he stepped to exit the office. He looked over his shoulder as he turned the knob, "I look forward to working with you, and last night wasn't just a game. I play for keeps." Without giving Chris an opportunity to respond, Piers opened the door and slipped out, closing it quietly behind him to make his way to the reception desk, eager to start his first day.

Chris was floored as he sat back into his chair again and let out a breath he had been holding since that kiss. He could feel his lips throb, a little swelled from the roughness of Piers' chapped ones pressed against them. Despite the ten year age gap between them, the youth that radiated off of his new assistant surgeon was becoming overwhelming. He shook his head hard enough to feel a small ache on the side of his skull, needing to remember that until his shift was over, he couldn't hide away in his office, even with the semi-hard erection he was sporting at the moment.

Getting up to adjust himself, he ran a hasty hand through his hair and released another quick breath. He picked up the watch Piers had returned to him and latched it back onto his wrist where it belonged just before he fixed his tie again, reminded of the warmth left behind by Piers' hand.

This was going to be a long day.

"As you can see here; our patient has suffered some broken bones, a sprain, and before taking the x-rays we noticed there were lacerations along his sternum. Who can tell me what ribs are broken, and what joint is sprained?" Chris slid the x-ray sheets in quick succession atop the imaging table and he pointed to the parts in question, watching each of the attentive students writing down their notes. The group he got this morning consisted of fifteen aspiring surgeons, wide-eyed. He waited before hands flew up into the air.

"Yes, Simon."

"The patient has broken true ribs three and four on the left side, and false ribs seven and eight on the right side." Simon started, nudging his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and swallowing a nervous breath. "He has also sprained…wait, Dr. Redfield, that can't be a sprain."

Chris offered a generous smile, "Why is that not a sprain, Simon?"

"W-well, according to the medical records and the patient's most recent checkup, there is no sprain present in the x-rays. Instead, there is a heel spur, what appears to be plantar fasciitis—it must have occurred during the patient's 5k run this morning." The other surrounding students looked at their own copies of the medical records in slight disbelief until they caught on about Chris' intentional mistake.

"Good job on the correction, Simon. Part of our jobs as potential doctors and nurses is to look at what we're given and have a proper, accurate diagnosis of the problem at hand. Sometimes we cannot even look at just the x-rays, but also the patient's prior medical history as well." The other students clapped at their colleague, watching him bashfully smile for his recognition.

Chris wasted no time to lead the group from the room so his nurse could take the x-rays back, deciding it was time for them to watch a live surgery in progress. Approaching a large window that opened a close-up view, Chris informed them he would lead the surgery to show them how it was done at a moment's notice. Nearby, Piers also prepared to dive right in, his first task on the job.

"This is Dr. Nivans, students. He's a recent graduate from MPMU, and my assistant today in this surgery. He specializes in heart surgery even though he operates on every part of the body, as do I."

"Pleasure to meet you all today." The other male shone his pearly whites, enthusiastic.

The doctors set to work to get scrubbed down and sanitized. Today's surgery was the removal of shrapnel and glass shards from a patient's leg, back and hand. Once the two were ready, Chris' nurse, Lauren took over the direction of the class and pressed the intercom button leading to the sealed room, informing him they were ready.

Nodding, Chris held out his hand for Piers to give him a scalpel, waiting for the other male to clean the area before doing an incision upon the skin. "Easy does it, Doctor." The elder male nodded as the small blade pierced the skin, blood oozing out like a river as he brought the knife down parallel to her spine, careful and steady as always. Piers and another nurse were quick to sop up the excess blood while the other supplied the patient with oxygen. Chris set the scalpel down for a moment and asked for the tweezers, the response quick as he set to work to dislodge the shrapnel without tearing any more tissue or ligaments. Piers held out a metal pan and each piece dropped with a quiet clang, one after another. Five were counted. Chris could feel his forehead began to bead with sweat as he worked, moving to set the tweezers down and clean up the wound so he could sew it up. Piers was quick to get into tune with Chris' pace, immediately responding by getting the needle and surgical thread.

As the two worked, the students chattered amongst one another, in awe of the group of experienced doctors and nurses inside. One of the women named Heather turned to Lauren, "How long have you worked with Dr. Redfield?"

"Six years, it'll be seven next month."

"Wow." Heather marveled, turning back to watch the doctor she idolized and crushed upon finish up with the patient. "He's…so handsome." A few other women agreed with her and fawned over him as they watched too.

Lauren held in an amused laugh and grinned instead.

"What about Dr. Nivans?" Another perked up, ever curious. "He looks about as old as us."

Before Lauren could answer, the doors opened and the doctors who were the center of attention emerged from the operating room. The students couldn't help but clap out of pure joy and excitement. The demonstration made them all put the well-known doctor on an even higher pedestal than the moment they arrived at Juno Hospital. They flocked to Chris and Piers like a group of vultures, and the two doctors were receiving plenty of attention as a slew of questions were being thrown left and right at them.

* * *

><p>With the day winding down and the students having left over an hour ago, Chris did all of his last rounds for his shift for the evening, returning to his office to go through the paperwork that awaited him. Signing through all of the various forms and adding wax seals to others, he scratched the back of his head while keeping a pen he often held hostage between his lips. It waggled back and forth as he worked, hearing a knock at his door. He glanced at the clock and remembered he sent Lauren and Deborah home, "Come in."<p>

The door opened with naught a single squeak, and closed just as noiselessly save for a single click. "Finished finalized papers for my transfer here. Miss me?"

Chris stiffened and couldn't resist looking up at the one man he had been dying to see. A bold grin painted his masculine features; his piercings were back in place and Chris hadn't noticed they were missing this morning due to being so caught off guard. He figured it was to maintain professionalism in this setting so as to keep the rest of the staff from thinking he wasn't taking his new job very seriously.

"I'll take that as a yes." Piers strolled his way to the desk and leaned his hip against the edge.

Piers hadn't expected Chris to lash out at him, however. A solid hand bunched up the front of his pressed shirt and yanked him hard enough to practically have him lay over the desk. Chris somehow found a spare second to slide his paperwork into a drawer to prevent the documents from being tossed without care, but Piers was not as lucky since he was unceremoniously pulled toward his new boss. Their lips mashed together, and it was evident Chris had held down all of his aggression until now. Teeth made an appearance as they nipped and bit one another, the elder man's fist still holding his subordinate's shirt in a vice grip, to the point where one of the buttons had popped off and rolled underneath the desk.

Standing up from his seated position, Chris thrust Piers into the nearby wall hard enough for him to stumble in his footing as his back met the hard plaster board. Without missing a beat, Chris continued their rough kisses, his right foot shoving the other surgeon's legs open to make room, pressing their hips together. His left hand groped one of Piers' ass cheeks, earning a gasp that made him smirk deviously. "Nice buns, Rebel." The emphasis he put into Piers' "name" from the night before made the other man shiver in delight as Chris squeezed his hand onto the firm buttock. He ground his hips against him then, effectively trapping Piers and limiting his movement, feeling every twitch and shudder. He loved the personality he met the night before, but he loved this side of Piers just as much, and having him within arms-reach made their forbidden, odd relationship that much more delicious to experience. All the pent up tension he had stored throughout the day all but burst out of him at this point, his sexual frustration obvious as the hard on he had from that morning sprang back to life and pressed against his attire.

Chris snarled against Piers' neck before biting down on the junction joining it with his shoulder, "That kiss you gave me was a real turn on…it drove me insane." Running his tongue from the space in between the twin clavicle bumps up to his Adam's apple, the surgeon moved to bite the other junction to leave match marks just low enough for them to be covered by the collar of his shirt. Having no more patience, he tore Piers' dress shirt open using an excess amount of strength; the rest of the buttons dangling by the remaining strings of thread, a couple more flying off into opposing directions and forgotten within seconds.

A firm knock yanked the pair out of their passionate embrace.

"Dr. Redfield?"

Panicked, Chris watched the door and was about to open his mouth to respond just as Piers wrenched the reins of control from his boss. Taking Chris by the hand, he pressed the other man into his office chair and crawled along the floor to fit below the only space on the inside, out of sight.

"C-Come in…" Chris fidgeted as he felt Piers' hand run up his shin to rest on his upper thigh, making quick work of his belt and pants, his intention clear. He stifled a cough when a smooth palm rubbed him through his boxers, playing, pushing his limits to see if he would squirm under pressure. Chris bit the inside of his cheek as the door opened to reveal one of the women who was working the reception desk.

He recalled her name was Yumi; judging by her stance, she was nervous but held a gentle smile as she pressed a closed hand against her moderately sized chest.

"Just wanted to let know that you and Dr. Nivans did a wonderful job today with Group C. The students were very impressed and since Deborah already left for the night, I wanted to drop these files off to you in person." She took a few steps forward, standing no more than a foot from the desk and placed them down. The blush across her cheeks intensified but Chris wasn't paying attention at all since there was a certain doctor that had been mentioned who was taking advantage of his disposition.

He was showing no mercy as Chris' dick strained against the material of his underwear. He felt Piers nibble on the cotton and press kisses along the hardened length. '_Fucking bastard._' He wasn't going to get away with that, Chris was going to make sure Piers would pay for this underhanded tactic. He grit his teeth as he felt his zipper be pulled down, waiting as Yumi took her time leaving, yapping on about other bullshit he couldn't even recite back to her if she asked.

After succeeding in pulling Chris' pants down to past his knees, Piers leaned forward to press kisses against his thighs as he continued to rub his boss' dick, denying him the feeling of a warm palm against his pulsating manhood. As soon as Yumi bid him goodnight and gave him another 'good job, well done' mini-speech, she finally closed the door and retreated to go home for the night. Chris looked down to glare at the doctor who was batting his eyelashes innocently, pressing his face against the exposed penis he had in his grip.

Without exchanging any words, Chris combed his fingers through Piers' soft locks as the younger surgeon opened his mouth to run his tongue from the bottom of the shaft all the way to the tip at an agonizing pace. The saliva trail he left behind was cooled as he blew a small stream of air against the erect penis to get Chris to shiver. "Stop teasing and suck me off already."

Piers' eyelids lowered dangerously, "Yes, Leo."

Pouted, bruised lips that Chris had smashed his own against were now wrapped around his penis, showing little to no mercy as they slid up and down the long shaft, leaving warm spit in its wake. Piers took his time to bring Chris to the edge, knowing he was teetering to fall off and blow his load, yet kept him from jumping at the last second. It was exhilarating for the pair, an adrenaline rush. Piers gave Chris' sac a firm squeeze and massaged his perineum until he heard the other man's pants grow louder and more desperate for release.

Chris bit his lip harder until the lower tier split open, painting that bit of it a shiny crimson.

Piers stopped right when he felt Chris arch and thrust forward; crawling up the older man's torso, he stole another kiss and lapped up the blood that was spilled, liking the copper taste as they shared hot affectionate toward one another. Chris hoisted Piers up and shoved him onto the desk hard enough to jar his laptop and small lamp, pushing his undershirt up his chest to reveal pert nipples and taut muscles; licking his lips at the sight of the washboard six-pack he salivated over. The muscles led down to a prominent 'V' that shaped his hips just as Chris tore at the belt and pants that confined the hole he had every intention of penetrating this time. He pulled them off along with his boxer briefs in one swoop, nudging his legs apart to make space for him.

Holding the leather belt in his hands, there was a pregnant pause between the two before Chris looked down at the other surgeon who was sprawled atop his desk. As if a lightbulb turned on in his head, Chris took hold of both of Piers' wrists with one of his larger hands, slamming the broad joints down in order to tie the belt around the joints. Piers playfully fought back, putting up an act out of pure entertainment as his muscles flexed and strained against his boss' unruly grip. He chuckled once the belt was secured around his wrists, "Kinky…we should experiment on bondage."

Chris lifted a curious brow, "You ever…?"

"Nah, but you seem to have a niché for it."

"I've got a few ideas."

Piers licked his lips and opened his legs more and didn't hide the deep blush that contrasted against his fair skin. "Fuck me first. Then I'll be more than happy to hear what you have in mind." While his statement sounded like a command, it was more pleading and got his superior to comply without hesitation.

Chris went in dry this time, foregoing a condom that he didn't have access to at the time.

The two had the opportunity to look at one another this time as opposed to the night prior. Chris could see the way Piers' muscles quivered; his subordinate was a sweating, heaving, pleasure-filled man of muscular flesh. His body was being fucked hard enough to shake the desk, causing the legs to creak and moan against the tiled floor as the friction between their bodies kept heating up. His back dug into the fine oaken wood, a delicious sensation that ran up his spine and caused his hair to stand up along the base of his neck. His moans egged Chris on, his calves brushing Chris' lower back as he lowered one leg down and raised the other to wrap around the other man. Chris took the other leg and managed to turn Piers onto his side, lifting the leg that was around his back up onto his shoulder; energy in his hips was more than rejuvenated in response to the view of the more revealing position and smacked his hips against the back of Piers' leg, trying to reach inside him even more. The angle brushed against the other man's prostate, the shaking in his entire body intensifying twofold.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! Jesus…fucking…U-ugh—Chris!"

In the heat of the moment, Chris slowed his hard and fast pace to turn Piers over again so he laid against the desk, his dick trapped between his own abs and the large desk calendar. Chris continued to pound the other man into submission as he showered him in kisses. He grunted as his thrusts became shallow, his climax nigh as he reached forward to grab Piers' bound hands, wrenching it behind his head enough to pull his body up, his onslaught merciless as he got the other man to squeal and shake out of control. His neck was coated in sweat, his back straining and flexing deliciously; Chris couldn't help licking up the salty rivers, biting down on another part of his shoulder to leave another mark.

Kisses rained down wherever Chris could place his lips, his other hand doing a reach around to take hold of Piers and get him to cry out, give in to his strong ministrations. He did, squirting a line of fresh essence up his torso and onto some of the contents unfortunate enough to be in the pathway.

Dazed, Chris hadn't even thought about pulling out but somehow did, taking Piers with him to sit back, holding him in his lap, chest to back. Nothing was exchanged except shortened breaths, chests rising in different intervals. Piers swallowed, "I'm hungry."

The two broke out in a roar of laughter at the comment that came from left field. Wiping a tear from his eye, Chris kissed the younger male on his cheek in a chaste manner before pinching his nipples and twisting them, getting him to arch into the touch and let out a breathy moan. "Looks like I've fucked an appetite out of you…" he murmured, taking the time to undo the belt that bit into Piers' wrists so his arms could relax since they were beginning to grow numb from the unyielding hold.

After they had righted themselves as best they could, Chris loved the handiwork that he had done to his co-worker, playing with one of Piers' nipples again since his shirt could no longer be buttoned up. He was proud to have done that. Pulling him in for another kiss, the other man tilted his head, "Marion's?"

"That dive down the street, right?"

"Yeah. Her sandwiches never disappoint."

"Alright."

Piers looked like a complete, sensually fucked mess; his eyes still beheld some dilation, the marks Chris left upon his smooth shoulders were sure to be a fine purple by tomorrow, and his shirt had no more buttons on it to close. Before leaving, Chris walked to the other side of his office and opened up his small locker, taking another shirt off the hangar and tossing it to the other surgeon. "Might be a little big for you, but I wouldn't want those nipples to harden in public."

"Why's that, Chris?" Piers offered a wry smile as he slipped it on, noticing his hands were covered by the sleeves, so he decided to roll them up to his elbows for a more comfortable fit.

"Because I can't help but want to tweak them…one or both could even look sexy with a piercing."

"Really now?"

"Mmhmm."

* * *

><p>"So…why clockwork and wings?"<p>

Chris was in the middle of devouring his seasoned fries when Piers inquired about the ink on his back. Swallowing what he had chewed, he cleaned his mouth. "Got it on my way out of the Air Force. I was about to turn twenty-seven then. I have a pocket watch my dad gave me when I got in, so I had an artist in Britain where I was stationed get it done for me by putting the exact gears along my back, shoulders and chest. The wings are because I loved to fly. Made me feel invincible the eight years that I served."

Piers nodded, astonished by the quaint and humble origins Chris shared with him, smiling and anticipating the next line of questioning. "Got the metal in my ears for my twenty-first birthday. My old man expected me to follow in his steps and maybe even go into special ops, but I didn't want to give up track or medicine. My little brother went in though, he's still on active duty as a lieutenant and my baby brother is in college pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering." He added that he had a bit of a rebellious streak in him during his college days. Despite being a promising student, he still broke some rules here and there while maintaining his grades. Life was more enjoyable that way for him but he had settled down a little since then, focusing more on his career than the thrills he used to get off on.

"Bi or gay?"

Chris choked on his coke mid-drink, earning an amused expression. Setting the cup down carefully and coughing a little, "That was fast. You sure you're not playing around? Experimenting? I'm not a bitch when it comes to the occasional fuck—"

The hand on his thigh from underneath the table got Chris to shut his mouth. Piers' eyes darkened as they stared at one another, and it was evident in what he wanted. "I meant it when I said I play for keeps. I'm not seeing anyone else, haven't for years."

Chris nodded, "Okay. Well, bi. Only had one long term relationship though, we ended on mutual terms."

"Ah. I find myself as an equal opportunity 'lover' of sorts, but right now my eyes aren't wandering." He reassured the elder man by squeezing his knee, taking a sip of his soda.

"Sure I'm not…too old for you?"

"Is the ten year difference a problem?"

"Well—"

"I can keep telling you I want you until you believe me."

Chris nudged Piers with his shoulder, looking down and smiling. "Shut up…I know you mean it." He paid for the bill and tugged on the edge of his large shirt that still seemed to drown Piers' smaller form.

"Let's get outta here. I'm _hungry_ for that ass, and don't think your groping has gone unnoticed." He whispered , his tongue peeking out to lick the small crevice behind Piers' ear, touching the small gauge in his lobe.

Piers purred, "Hopefully you don't have an early shift tomorrow."


	4. Business & Pleasure

More reviews! Super happy with the direction this story is going. Never really been too keen on writing sex scenes and yet somehow they come out just fine without them coming out as a porn fest. *blinks* Anyway, I've got more exams but hopefully I can still dish out some more chapters on a regular basis and not leave you guys where you end up suffering from withdrawals.

Enjoy reading!

**P.S.**

I'm so thankful for all the support I've gotten with this little humble story, and hope not to disappoint you guys as future installments come out. I didn't imagine it would get much attention, but looks like I was proven wrong. Dunno how long this story will be but we'll see!

**C.E.**

* * *

><p><strong>Four: Business &amp; Pleasure<strong>

Piers felt on top of world this overcast morning, humming quietly to himself as he processed another manila folder and receiving an echo scan for a patient that was just admitted into the hospital. The past few weeks were certainly full of activity as far as his involvement with Chris, and what made him grin even more was the fact they now regarded each other by first names outside of work. Even the occasional names they used on their supposed one-night stand popped out every so often. Piers never planned to actually meet Chris there at The Sapphire that night, and part of him knowing who he was going to pick up on was all the more fun. He hadn't expected Chris to take his invitation of sex; he didn't care about the consequences, and surprisingly, he got more than what he bargained for in the end. Not only did he show up to his interview and baffle the successful surgeon, but ended up having a romp on top of Chris' desk later that evening as well! He smirked at the memory, having stumbled into a very quick, no-holds-barred relationship with his boss. He liked this new mix of business with pleasure—and could get used to it very fast.

Being Chris' assistant surgeon had its own perks. The two normally took off for lunch together without their own schedules conflicting; sometimes Piers would do rounds and Chris would be confined to his office doing paperwork, then Chris would check on patients while Piers directed some of the newly hired interns. Juno Hospital was always busy and bustling with life, and there was hardly a day so far that anything coming in to the ER would come off as surprising. Piers handed over another manila folder to Yumi, keeping his composure as he recalled her as the young woman who had come in during a time where he and Chris were in the middle of kissing, remembering her voice and eventually connecting it with her soft, fair-skinned face. She had no idea what went on that night, and probably never will.

He hadn't been in a relationship this serious for a few years now, about the same amount as Chris, which just piqued his curiosity even more. They hadn't had a chance to really sit down and…get to know one another—often times work would occupy most of the day, like it naturally would, and while that didn't bother him, he had hoped that today he would approach Chris about the subject of sitting down and talking to one another on a deeper level.

Not that he was complaining about all the times they had gotten _very_ physical…several times in a day. He clicked his tongue at that wandering thought; he hadn't expected Chris to have a voracious appetite, let alone more than enough stamina to make his assistant forget that he was ten years his senior, on his way to forty. That man had energy like a ruthless bull, and kept on giving. And Piers _liked_ _it_.

Just recalling that very morning sent a cool shiver down his spine and warmed his ears as he covered his mouth to keep anyone from seeing his idiotic grin…

* * *

><p><em>A groan sounded amongst the bed comforter and blankets, one of the lumps shifted about and disturbed the hills and valleys the covers created. Piers cracked open a single eyelid and sees his messy bangs obscure his view, but through a single bit, beige sheets wrinkled below him, a fluffy pillow atop his head. Lifting it a bit and turning over onto his back, he let out of quiet huff, moving the pillow and setting it to support his head.<em>

_He closed his eyes again and remembered that he wasn't needed at the hospital until noon that day, yet his biological clock awoke him six hours early out of habit. Piers decided going back to sleep was the best decision at the time, too tired still to get up and shower, much less make breakfast._

_ An hour or so of silence and Piers hadn't even felt a dip into the comforter and mattress. Somehow his pillow ended up on the floor, his arm taking its place and his other hand lay atop his abdomen. There was a strangely warm-wet sensation that ran through his nerves for a few seconds at a time, however, but didn't stir the male out of his slumber enough. Slightly chapped lips caressed naked skin, admiring the lithe frame of Piers' calves, trailing up to his knees, and then to his smooth and tight, muscled thighs. Firm kisses left a breadcrumb trail while also claiming the warm flesh, teeth suckling hard enough to leave small hickeys on both thighs. Hands eventually followed suit and worshipped Piers' body which stirred him and got him to be aware of what was going on._

_ Chris was careful as he parted Piers' legs more beneath the blankets, moving to place lazy kisses up further until he reached his subordinate's hips, purposely taking his time to get to the center of his attention._

_ "Ooh…"_

_ Hearing Piers' hushed moan, Chris moved in to deal the killing "blow" with great enthusiasm. Piers arched his back in response, the hand that was closed into a loose fist on his stomach crept beneath the covers and brushed against Chris' ear first, the tips of his fingers lovingly tracing the curve of his strong jaw, and then tapped the tip of his nose before gently settling in his sleep-mused hair. Chris flattened his tongue against the pulsing vein on the underside of Piers' shaft, his head bobbing up and down at a slow pace, savoring the distinct clash of sweet and salty._

_ A sneaky arm managed to slide up and along Piers' torso, index finger and thumb playing with the dips and curves his impressively muscled abs, taking hold of a pert nipple and twisting it just enough for minor pain without serious injury. "Uh!" Piers writhed and gasped at the sensation and bit his lip when he felt Chris tug on the single, shiny black nipple piercing. He had gotten it and surprised Chris with it a week after their fun in the office, realizing that instead of the touch being dulled, it was greatly intensified threefold. It also healed quite nicely, and taking it out was no hassle, the hole was small too. He bit his lip harder when Chris deep-throated him and tugged on the piercing a little harder, the double stimulation becoming overwhelming._

_Piers clenched his hand atop Chris' head and held his lover down against his pelvis, thrusting his hips upward and letting himself go. For a few minutes, only Piers' pleasured pants painted the warm air of the bedroom, calm sigh following as he fell back down from his high. At some point during Chris' "exploration" Piers' other hand that was behind his head loosened its grip around the sheets, leaving one portion a wrinkled spot._

_ Releasing Chris' hair and head, Piers brought his hand up and threw his arm over his eyes, twitching when Chris' mouth relinquished its hold upon him, sliding upward, lips kissing the tip. Chris poked his head out from underneath the blankets as Piers sat up using his elbows as support, his chest still heaving, eyelids lowered. Crawling up the other's body, Chris licked his lips and went in for a kiss, supporting his body on one hand and used the other to cup the back of the younger man's neck._

_Their kisses were full of passion and fervor, each press of lips connecting and sparing less and less of a moment to breathe. The elder man rubbed his thumb along the short hair at the base of his lover's neck, earning a low growl in response. He smirked and continued to massage him until he pulled away from another kiss, a soft snap left in its wake as he placed more kisses on Piers' face, leading down to his neck, happy that Piers tilted his head back to allow more access, his pants growing shallower._

_ "Morning, babe." Chris' sultry tone made Piers' heart melt. As cheesy as it sounded, he was a sucker for that velvety voice—and Chris knew it. The elder male kissed a trail downward, his teeth caught the piercing and tugged playfully, earning a well-deserved moan from the man below him as he pulled and tweaked it, swiping his tongue along the bright pink softness. He lifted the other's leg over his shoulder, pressed their hips together, a silent decision to pick up where they had left off from the night before._

_ "Fucking…insatiable…" Piers drawled, letting himself drown in the bone-chilling sensations that made him dizzy with pleasure._

* * *

><p>His vivid recalling had been disrupted by the slamming of the emergency double doors, a crew of EMTs rushing in with a mortally wounded man strapped to a gurney. "He needs fluids, stat!" One of them hollered, holding Piers' attention; the young surgeon hurried over to the team to help them wheel the gurney down one of the halls to the ER, asking what had happened so he was caught up to speed. He kept his attention on the man, noticing his chest slowly rise, and he could immediately tell it wasn't even breathing, but wheezing instead. He was certain Chris was going to be alerted immediately, but went to go get scrubbed down since he knew he would be needed for surgery.<p>

The patient had suffered multiple lacerations from what appeared to be a car accident, as he last recalled from one of the EMTs that was holding an oxygen mask to the man. Piers barely glanced up when the double doors were pushed open again, seeing his boss clad in the proper attire for surgery. "Dr. Redfield; thirty-five-year old male, hit on the side of his Nissan by a Grand Cherokee that ran a red light. He has glass shards in his head—we'll need to shave his hair, one of his lungs also collapsed." Piers relayed this information quickly as Chris approached the table, giving a once over the patient's prone body, looking at the BPM machine and the IV bags hanging nearby.

"Take over," he said, his mask moving up and down the lower part of his face, tickling his nose. Piers looked up, surprise evident in his expression as Chris gestured that he hurry since the patient needed immediate attention. "I'll be right here." The surrounding nurses on standby continued to move about and grab the necessary tools the doctors would need.

Piers set to work and the room fell silent except for the occasional beeps from the BPM machine and the quiet buzz of the electric razor that smoothly followed the curve of the man's head, his hair falling off and getting caught by Chris as he passed it on to Lauren, who quickly took care of each strand and slipped the bunches into a new Ziploc bag. Chris handed Piers tweezers once the razor was turned off; his subordinate carefully extracted the jagged glass with utmost precision, and the other doctor was quick to press gauze and a small, thin vacuum tube in the open wounds to keep it clean and prevent infection. Piers narrowed his eyes as he examined one piece in particular. It was larger than the rest, and that was when he spoke up, "Doctor, this one is lodged in the glabella…I'm not so sure about removing this piece without causing internal bleeding." Seeing Chris nod, the elder stepped back to have his colleague, a brain surgeon named Dr. Lilly Zandre, take a look.

"We might need to actually open the top of his skull and try to extract the other piece from there…" she carefully drawled, deciding that may be the best route before asking Piers to proceed with the rest of the operation and for the nurses to patch up the patient's more shallow injuries.

She called for a laser cutter, and Lauren rushed to respond. She had asked for a quick cleanup and for everyone else to step further back, some nurses clearing the room to reduce any chance of the laser causing a fire hazard. She nodded to Piers for a job well done, and with Chris' permission, she took over this portion of the surgery to safely remove the last piece from a crucial part of the patient's head. Adjusting her glasses, she took her time to turn the device on, feeling it heat up as she leaned in towards the patient, her focus directly on the quickly drawn out surgical line.

The surgery had taken seven hours to complete to the best of his ability, but Piers now knew what it felt like whenever Chris complained of tenseness in his shoulders and the base of his neck. From what he remembered before he helped wheel the patient into ICU, the male was identified as Brad Vickers after locating his ID in his belongings. His car was smashed to hell, but he survived the accident, still asleep and hooked up to a breathing machine since he was unable to do so after his surgery. His family had been called and they rushed over, relieved to hear he was alright thanks to the young doctor.

Piers closed his eyes for a moment as he leaned his head back against his couch. He could smell dinner cooking in the kitchen behind him as a mindless TV program droned on some subject on the flat screen, a smile growing across his full lips as he felt Chris' hands begin to massage his shoulders. He released a calm breath just before feeling another pair of lips press against his; the kiss was unhurried, meticulous and teasing in a way, and he was able to taste the hint of creamy Bailey's from his lover's tongue. "Drinking and cooking, Chris?" He heard the other man chuckle in response as he continued massaging Piers' shoulders.

"Guilty. But only one glass, I swear."

Chris had invited Piers over to his condo after their shifts had ended that day, having snuck a quick peck on the younger man's cheek before disappearing first, slipping his address into Piers' pocket a moment before copping a feel. That was the first time he had been over after the first two weeks of them dating. Now, nearly after a month, it was becoming a habit for Piers to follow Chris to his condo right after work. He was happy that Chris offered to cook dinner and in turn the other man insisted his lover make himself at home, and it made him wonder if Chris normally cooked without a shirt on. He certainly like the view—no room to complain.

"Spaghetti and garlic bread okay with you?"

"Sounds great."

"You did really well today during the emergency extraction; Lilly was impressed by the fact you've only been a part of my staff for a few weeks and have adapted well." Chris called from the kitchen, watching the noodles boil as he tasted his sauce. He adjusted it by adding a little more pepper and added the fresh spinach he had washed in the sink. Happy with the progress so far, Chris moved to check the bread that was baking in the oven, grabbing a mitt from one of the drawers and pulling the metal tray out. He set it on the counter to cool before deciding to slice it into pieces.

"I'm surprised you let me take point."

"Why's that?"

"Well, because I'm your assistant."

"You're over-qualified to work below me, Piers. Remember?"

"Yet here I am… _Working_ below you every day. Though tonight that would be _you_ this time." Chris didn't hear Piers get up during their conversation, too concentrated on dinner to make sure it didn't burn or spoil. But a pair of wandering, daring hands found themselves smoothing the plane of pure muscle that was on his torso.

Even though there were only a couple inches of height difference between the two men, Chris couldn't help feeling a little protected, affectionately coddled even, being pulled into an embrace by Piers with ease. In fact, he never minded the reversal in their relationship; more often than not he was either one side or the other—receiving or giving, but not necessarily both in one relationship. It made him wonder if Piers was used to being the initiator since he had sought out his then future boss' attention at The Sapphire. He still wasn't so sure about the intention behind Piers wanting his affection to begin with when most likely he had several other options – men and women alike – by comparison.

Chris was aware that being the age that he was, there wasn't that much he could offer as a "worn out" lover. At least, that was his opinion.

He felt feather-light kisses tickle his bare back teasingly; calloused hands contrasted his smooth chest as the left slithered past the waistband of his jeans, the right warming the shallow thumping of his heart. He moved to turn off the burners and let the food simmer, remembering the pasta was cooled in the sink and the sauce was just about done.

He could spare a few moments…

Chris' body felt tingly as he sat up and stretched, his arms and hands reaching towards the ceiling. He heard a contented sigh from below him, looking down to find Piers watching him, a relaxed grin spread across his soft lips. Piers had his shirt opened and didn't bother fixing it. The man above him smiled back sheepishly, leaving the button to his pants undone and the zipper halfway up, "So, dinner?" The two shared a chuckle as they made their way into the kitchen, moving to serve themselves and eat.

"Tell me," Chris started first, deciding now might be the best time to get to know his mysterious assistant. "Your profile is bare save for your birthdate, family and where you went to school. You've got calluses on your hands, ones that seem years old. Care to enlighten me?"

Piers glanced up from his plate and seemed unfazed by the meticulous observations, and lifted one of his eyebrows. He was impressed, and then again, knew that even though Chris had been out of the military for quite some time, he knew training like that was engrained in him. There was no such thing as "forgetting" what one learned in the line of duty – it was stuck with them until death. "Not much to tell. My father and mother are retired, brothers are on opposite sides of the globe. Calluses are from the shooting range."

"Shooting range?" Chris blinked.

"Being a military brat and moving all over Europe, there was one thing my father and I had in common, and it was the comfort of a gun pressed into my hand. He also had me take up archery through high school before I pursued track, and eventually, medical school instead of being recruited into the military."

"So, it was more of a hobby."

His assistant shrugged, "More or less. He told me I had an eagle eye that was going to waste when I was doing homework on cadavers."

"He wanted all three of you to enlist?"

Piers took another bite of his pasta and nodded his head, "You know, something about having all men in his family and wanting to continue the family "tradition", so to speak."

Chris wrinkled his nose at that as he let that sink in. He wasn't sure what his own dad may have thought about him going into the Air Force. The man was ambiguous in a lot of ways but was never afraid to show how much he loved his children while his illness ate away at him inside. Chris felt he didn't quite have a choice knowing that a regular nine-to-five couldn't support himself and Claire, much less the medical bills that piled up for his dad's treatment. He went in to provide for his sister, and looking back on it now, was okay about it because he discovered his newfound love for flying. Being up in the sky somehow made him feel untouchable. _Free_.

"No big. I've got my life to live, my parents are happy in Italy, and my brothers are pursuing their own careers."

The way Piers had answered Chris was casual, open, unafraid of explaining save for the subtle lowering of his eyelids when Chris had mentioned the calluses. Piers sipped on beer, holding in a brief thought before taking over the line of questioning. "What about your family?"

Finished with his plate, Chris wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood up to gather his dishes to set them into the sink. During his short stroll, he answered. His tone had changed a little at the mention of his own father, telling Piers that he had lost him at twenty-seven, that he had a sister who was barely fifteen and had taken a long time to recover, barely graduating because of the loss. His mother was gone while he was a teenager, and Claire was only a child then. He had to step up to the plate since his dad was waning as the days passed until he finally lost the internal battle.

It had been years since ever talking about his dad on a level this deep, but after rubbing his face; he looked back at Piers who sat there, quietly observing him. The latter had his elbows propped up on the small table, fingers laced together, and mouth hidden behind them. The gaze Chris received wasn't that of sympathy, but a thoughtful one. He heard him hum in response.

"I know you did your absolute best accomplishing what you wanted, and doing right by your sister." He finally spoke up after minutes of silence, taking a final bite of his pasta and cleaning up the sauce with the remainder of his garlic bread. He put his own dishes into the sink then and ran some water on them, turning the faucet off before approaching Chris again. He leaned forward and curled his hands around his boss' chin to lift his line of sight upward so their eyes looked nowhere else but at the other's. His other hand lay flat atop the mahogany table so his tall frame was supported as he moved in to kiss Chris.

Their kiss was unhurried and precise, each caress leaving thoughts fuzzy and put the conversation on a brief hold until Piers pulled back.

"Thanks." Chris breathed. He cleared his throat to continue, staying ensnared in the light grip Piers had on his chin. He smirked, eyes beholding a naughty glint. "For a man who's content as my assistant rather than a head surgeon, I'm sure that your self-proclamation as a bad boy didn't just happen overnight, correct me if I'm wrong."

Piers licked his lower lip and moved to whisper in Chris' ear, "You have _no_ idea."

Chris pulled Piers in closer and got him to straddle his lap, "Indulge me."

Piers wasn't afraid to flaunt what he did; as a male with a healthy, sexual appetite, he was just as warm-blooded as any other male, and was certain Chris had his fair share of casual flings and such. He even admitted to having vandalized public properties _for fun_ and dodged authorities that were hot on his tail, never identified but the thrill was what motivated him to continue doing it here and there while he stressed out at Mercury Phoenix.

"Give me a number, and we'll see if I top it or not."

Chris laughed, "Double digits."

"And you only had one solid relationship?"

"Man's gotta eat. Eleven."

"Peculiar, you've got me beat, handsome. What ratio of women to men?"

"Six to five. Now give yours up."

"Ten. An even ratio. My last girlfriend was a kleptomaniac – you can imagine how that ended."

Chris tilted his head, "She and I…we tried to make it work while I was in the Air Force. We were on and off before finally calling it quits four years ago."

The two stayed in proximity of one another for the remainder of the evening, enjoying each other's company. Piers had decided it was time for him to return home, reluctant to leave but finding it necessary since he had come over to Chris' condo straight from work. He hadn't even checked his mail, and thanked his gracious host for the wonderful dinner with a kiss. He couldn't help but give Chris a nice squeeze; his hand cupping and teasing his groin as flesh met flesh for a few breaths before moving in to set his lips upon his shoulder, his teeth and tongue suckling on the skin of his shoulder long enough to leave an affectionate mark. His handjob left Chris half-hard as he pulled away, he loved being mischievous and knew he was getting away with it.

"Catch you tomorrow, Chris."

"Night, Piers."

After the door was closed, his pants left straining and shoulder throbbing, Chris shook his head and began turning out the lights, needing to find his own sexual release since that bastard left him the way he was. He was such a sucker for being led around like that, and strangely liked it – it made dating Piers exciting and unpredictable. Getting to know his subordinate was a big plus, and he didn't mind the mystery behind his coworker. Part of the fun was not knowing all the secrets so soon, and he found it bullshit that people his age claimed that they didn't like not knowing everything. Frankly, dating Piers reminded him that this new experience was not to be spoiled too soon, at least that's what he thought.

He did have one lingering thought, however.

For some odd reason, he had noticed that behind the calluses that were a few years old, he knew that Piers' hands were too smooth to _not_ be ignored.

Piers' fingerprints appeared to have been burnt off. And they were definitely professionally done; the color in his hands was still flush, pink. All that was missing were the familiar genetic lines that were unique to only him.

Knowing that, Chris maintained a calm demeanor even as he prepared for bed.

It seemed there was far more to his assistant than he was being told.


	5. Beneath New Layers

How appropriate I would post my last 2014 chapter today…

Chapter five is here! Yay! Chapter four was a lot of fun to write, but this one is gonna take on the more dramatic tone now. I'm very happy for the support (as I've probably said millions of times before), so thanks again for the attention and love. I really do appreciate it and I wanna thank the lovely **Emil** **Lime**, author of **Under** **Fire** (cross promo!) for the nipple piercing suggestion. A sexy addition to an already sexy character, if I do say so myself. *wink* She is the other wonderful co-author to our shared story **A Cut Above** which is on our joint account, appropriately named **Clockwork Lime**.

I also wanna highlight the brilliant **sadlittletiger**, author of **It Will Come Back**. So while you guys patiently wait for chapter six to come, check those amazing tales out! You won't be disappointed, I assure you.

My entire quarter, from October to mid-December was insane… Definitely the hardest I've ever had to go through, and on top of that, I also went through a lot of tragic losses too. I miss them dearly, but life goes on in spite of everything. But I still managed to finish this long awaited chapter, and just before the new year of 2015. Thanks for sticking around, and I hope you guys enjoy.

Here we go, brace yourselves.

**HAPPY (EARLY) NEW YEAR!**

**C.E.**

* * *

><p><strong>Five: Beneath New Layers<strong>

"Clear!"

The paddles of the defibrillator were rubbed together before they were applied to the patient's chest, the electric currents surging through the machine and into the body. The female jolted upward in response as expected, but the BPM still beeped loudly, reminding the staff inside of the flat line. Chris rubbed the paddles together again and yelled the necessary "clear", placing them down on the chest again to persist. The body jolted once more, the heartbeat pumping back to life again. Sighing in relief, Chris felt his forehead get wiped by some spare gauze, glancing at Piers from the corner of his eye as he set down the paddles to complete the emergency surgery.

He directed Piers to assist him with sewing up the patient that they almost lost, working efficiently but quickly. Moments after releasing the patient to be sent to ICU, Chris removed his surgical mask and tossed it into the trash, letting out a breath he didn't notice he was holding for so long. '_Way too close…_' He rubbed the back of his neck as he walked down the hall to approach the patient's husband.

Shaking the husband's trembling hand, Chris clasped his other hand upon the man's shoulder to steady his form. "Mr. Langston, your wife is currently being held in ICU. I don't have a definite day for her release since right now she's still unconscious, but her vitals are stable now after her emergency transplant."

Gary Langston hardly looked at Chris directly in the eye, looking past him instead, "Oh…th-thank you, doctor."

"Have you eaten? Had some coffee?" His attempt to console the worried husband was beginning to falter, but he knew asking such mundane questions were better than remaining silent. Chris saw the other man frown deeply in response, his bottom lip shaking and his initially calm-looking shoulders following suit.

"Will she wake up?"

Chris rolled his lips together, "I'm not…entirely sure right now. She went into shock in the middle of her open heart surgery; she had flat-lined for a few minutes but we were able to resuscitate her. She's breathing smoothly right now but otherwise there is no other activity."

Langston lowered his head further and glued his eyes to the floor, "I can't lose her…" He waited for Chris to relinquish his shoulder before turning away in the direction of the cafeteria, heading to the elevator first but waiting to be able to take it by himself and not share with others.

Left to his own thoughts then, Chris breathed out a long breath through his nostrils, turning away to stop by the reception desk.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Redfield. Here are your patients to check upon for the day. Dr. Nivans just came by here and took his half." Yumi smiled at her boss as she handed him a stack of manila folders and a clipboard, pushing her wheeled chair to the other side of the desk to retrieve the ringing phone. She offered him a wave as he left, trudging down the pale hallways in the middle of the late night.

He was still holding great concern for Mrs. Langston, a frequent patient of his who had regressed. While it did not necessarily surprise him when her heart would not pump at a consistent pace, he was still worried whenever she needed emergency surgery. He had done surgery upon her heart three times now, but knew that he had to find a better solution for her, and the only solution he really had that could sustain her life much better is a heart transplant.

'_If only giving her a new heart was as easy as administering a regular flu shot…_' he sighed, putting his reading glasses on to look at the name of the first patient's file he was going to visit.

Approaching room 93B, he gave a sound knock on the door before taking care opening it, noticing what appeared to be the beginning of a heated debate.

Neither resident looked up to acknowledge his presence as they continued to squabble.

"I told you, he is _just_ a friend, Ian!"

"That fucker took you to lunch and kissed you as I came to your work to pick you up, Tracy!"

"I didn't let him do it. I pushed him away."

"No, you didn't, you liar!"

"You _saw_ me do it! I turned my face away and shoved him."

"If a guy wants to take you out to lunch, and no one else is joining in like a coworker lunch-type deal, how can that not ring any bells in your head?!"

"Don't talk to me about going out to lunch with others one-on-one; that skank took your hand and put it on her tits because she purposely spilled wine on her WHITE dress! She wanted to get into ya pants and ya know it!"

Finally, Chris decided being "polite" wasn't going to get him anywhere. He coughed loud enough to get them to look up and include his presence rather than ignore it. He set to work by maintaining his professionalism with a smile, "Good evening, my name is Dr. Christopher Redfield; I run the Eastern Wing Division of Juno Hospital. You must be Ian Del Mar, correct?"

Embarrassed their shouting had an audience, the two stammered for a response. Ian, who was lying in the hospital bed, quickly answered, "U-Um, yes…that's me. How are you, Doc?" He reached out with one of his hands, traces of car oil so deep in his skin it was a clear indication of his occupation. Chris shook it firmly and turned to offer his hand to the woman next.

"Dr. Redfield."

"Tracy Acerbi, his fiancée." She blew a bubble and popped it obnoxiously before glaring at Ian, hinting their conversation wasn't over.

"Pleasure. Now, Ian, you're here because of a…" he started, flipping the page over to read through the medical record and reason for his stay in the hospital today. "It appears my records indicate that you have herpes—"

"HERPES?!"

Ian winced and Chris jumped a little at the shriek that sounded much, much worse than typical claws scraping against a chalkboard.

"YOU CHEATING SONUVABITCH! My mutha was right about your scum, lyin' ass!" Tracy began exerting physical violence upon her boyfriend, angered by his betrayal and infidelity. She smacked him against the chest with her leather purse next, screaming more obscenities Chris was sure any passerby was going to hear. His first round of the night and already it was going off to a…smashing start.

Needing to complete his work so he could move on and get Lauren to administer his prescriptions, Chris placed a gentle hand upon Tracy's shoulder. "Miss Acerbi, due to lack of time, please understand that I need to give your boyfriend the antibiotics he needs. I'm sorry about your unorthodox discovery, really." While his partial sympathy to her angry position seemed to have calmed her down, Chris persisted in order to get his work done so he could move on to the next patient on his list.

"My nurse, Lauren, will give you your first of ten refills of antibiotics. Be sure to take one pill as you wake up with water, no alcohol or any kind of sugary substance, and the second pill right before bed. Do this for the first six weeks and if there are any signs of your condition worsening, then immediately call the hospital and I will take care of you, okay? I will return tomorrow to sign off on your release."

Without another breath, Chris left the couple to resume their arguing, certain no amount of asking will stop them from bickering any time soon.

Chris was lucky to find the rest of his patients were drastically more cooperative in his endeavor to check through all of their conditions and concerns like clockwork, able to finish his rounds much sooner than he anticipated.

"What is her name?"

Chris looked up from his third beer, halfway done with it when he just had it for a few minutes. "Hm?" Despite feeling tired from the day—as usual—he scratched the back of his head, sheepish. He apologized for being caught in a daze; his mind wandered off after seeing that couple argue, bleak memories rising to the surface. The bar was more full than usual, to the point where most patrons were standing with no place to sit down. After that stressful, life threatening surgery, Chris was relieved to be able to have a beer and a few days off of work. He normally didn't take his vacation days, but after some coaxing from Piers, he felt that maybe the pressure was beginning to get to him.

A few days off wouldn't hurt.

"The patient, Chris." The assistant smiled, reaching across the small bar table to caress his lover's hand, well aware of the stress he was wearing upon his tired visage. He wasn't present to help out during the emergency situation, having directed the new interns during that time frame.

After being informed of the resuscitation, Piers knew that taking Chris out of the hospital for a short while would calm his uneasy nerves. It was normal to be shaken up by the possibility of losing a patient, but with Chris being so consistent in saving lives rather than not, this hiccup surely put a wrench in his usual routine.

"Right…uh, her name is Wendy Langston. She has erratic heartbeats right now and is being carefully monitored by Lauren. I should call, check up on her health." He reached for his phone then until Piers stopped him, gently explaining that Lauren was reliable and would inform him of any changes immediately. She insisted and agreed upon Piers' intent of taking Chris out for a bit, and was happy that another doctor had taken over in Chris' place for the time being.

Chris could hardly think as it was, sliding his phone back into his pocket where it belonged.

"It's just…been a while." He sighed, rubbing his eyes. He held onto the neck of his beer then and tipped his head back, finishing the other half of it before signaling to the bartender for another bottle.

"Understandable. Listen, we can go to the park or something tomorrow, okay?" Piers offered a reassuring smile as he took another shot, feeling the whiskey burn down his slender throat.

"Okay."

"I'm gonna go the bathroom and make a couple calls, I'll be back and then let's go back to your place." The other surgeon leaned forward and kissed the elder man's forehead and touched his cheek before pulling away, disappearing in the crowd.

Alone, Chris began nursing his fourth beer as he contemplated about Mrs. Langston's condition, hoping she would recover like she normally did and not recess into any more coughing fits or flat lines. He was worried, naturally, and while the unwanted stress did not help, he had known her for a few years now, along with her family. He had become such good friends with them even in this unusual circumstance, but he still remained tense while picking at the polished wood of the table before him.

"Chris…? Is that you?"

Having been addressed, the man in question didn't look up to regard the person that called out to him, moving to finish his beer and raising his hand for another. "Who's asking?" He nudged the empty bottle towards the center of the table before the unwanted company took a seat without permission.

"How funny to see you here tonight."

Color drained out of his face, his throat dry.

Rouge lips formed into a sweet grin. The very same grin that made his stomach flip, disrupting the alcohol it was filled with. It couldn't be…

"Jessica?"

* * *

><p>Chris was in a daze the next day, already rudely awoken by the severe hangover he knew he was going to suffer through for a few hours that morning. His abdomen lurched and tightened into a hard knot, but it felt more like he was being punched in the solar plexus over and over again. Rubbing his tired eyes, Chris let out a long yawn as he stared at the coffee machine, concentrated on its idle gargling as the hot liquid trickled down into the glass pot that was fogged up by condensation.<p>

"Come sit down on the couch." Piers' hushed voice always caught Chris' attention; hands pulling him into an embrace, lips touching the nape of his neck.

Lauren informed him that Wendy's condition seemed stable for now, and even opted to stay overnight in case something else unexpected happened. Even now, he held onto his phone like it was a lifeline, taking Piers' advice to take a seat. He found it even more difficult to relax knowing his patient was being carefully monitored when she could have heart failure again at any given moment. He wouldn't be there to help intervene and prevent a fatal situation.

The very thought of her dying made his hands shake. Death was just something he could never grow used to. He knew being too emotionally attached to patients during his work would affect his best performance, but at the same time it was hard not to be invested. He hated being so conflicted.

Recalling his "reunion" with Jessica just seemed to put a spin upon his day even more. On top of his worry for Wendy's state, seeing his ex-girlfriend again stole the breath out of his lungs.

_"So I see you still work out."_

_ "Jessica…? What—what are you doing here?"_

_ Tilting her head at his baffled question, the woman's smile never faltered as she answered him. "To visit you."_

_ Shaking his head at her short answer, Chris ran a hand down the front of his face. "No, that's not why you're here."_

_ "Chris—"_

_ "You…you didn't want to try anymore."_

_ He heard her sigh._

_ "It wasn't willingly. Me leaving, having to relocate, if I had a choice, I wouldn't have left you."_

_ Chris clenched his jaw as he watched her carefully; he wasn't inebriated enough to not focus on her, able to hold his alcohol and too concentrated on the fact she just reappeared again in his life after vanishing like she was air._

_ She cleared her throat, her eyes unwavering, the two suddenly engaged in a staring contest as neither spared a word to the other for a long while._

_ "Congratulations on your promotion to Head Surgeon at Juno Hospital," she started, offering him a smile to help ease the tension. "I bet your sister is proud of you."_

_ "Yeah…thanks."_

_ Despite the attempt at a civil conversation, the atmosphere between them remained tense._

_ "A long distance relationship would've been unhealthy for both of us, Chris."_

_ Her reasoning didn't put him at ease._

_ "I—"_

_ She reached for his hand to anticipate his statement, showing she was aware of what he was going to say._

_ "I know, Chris. But after you were discharged and the accident…your pursuit to becoming a surgeon was far better than anything I could have given you."_

_ "I wanted __**you**__, Jessica."_

_ "I know, I know… I'm sorry." She shook her head at his admission, reminded of the last time they had this conversation. She stood from her seat then and moved to his side of the table._

_ Having to tell him that she was in town for a few more days was bittersweet. Her new position in National Security took up so much of her time yet for her to come down here and coincidentally bump into Chris seemed as if the stars lined up._

_ Leaning over, she placed a gentle kiss against his cheek. "Please, don't be upset, Chris. You're a wonderful man, I'm sure you will or have already found happiness by now."_

_ "You leaving and coming back into my life doesn't help." He pressed his elbow into the table and supported the other side of his head against it. He watched her in his peripheral as she reached to squeeze his other bicep, the same way she used to do so years ago. He knew he had moved on, and having Piers definitely helped, yet seeing her there, a large chunk of his past, having returned after so many years… It was hard enough having to be so concerned about Wendy and all of this was starting to become too much._

_ "It was nice running into you tonight, I can see you're doing just fine since your days in the Air Force."_

_ "Thanks."_

_ "Take care, okay? Perhaps I will...see you around." Her other hand managed to press against his chest; just that amount of pressure reminded him of the catalyst that set the path his life had taken. Forever._

_ "…Yeah, you too."_

_ Just as she appeared before him, her lingering touch left a familiar yet sad warmth. As if on cue, Piers had returned from his trip to the bathroom, noticing Chris' despondent expression._

"Chris?"

Shaking the other man out of his train of thought, Chris looked up to acknowledge his subordinate, his lips in a grim line.

"Something happened at the bar." Piers' statement rang true but he kept from coming off invasive.

Chris offered a sigh in response as he gestured for his lover to join him on his loveseat. He moved to lay his head down, using Piers' lap as a pillow. "I'm worried about Wendy and back at the bar—" He jolted up once his phone vibrated violently in his grip, immediately answering the phone call.

"Lauren?"

Getting up to snatch his slacks from the chair he had thrown them over, he began struggling to dress himself as he kept his phone sandwiched in between his shoulder and cheek. "Go ahead with the administering and resuscitation process, I'm on my way as soon as I can!" He quickly apologized to Piers for interrupting their dinner but was stopped by his lover who took his car keys from him.

His face hardened, "I'll drive. You drank four beers tonight and I will _not_ let you drive recklessly." Piers didn't leave it open for discussion as he walked past Chris to get dressed as fast as he could, the two bolting out the door and into Chris' car, speeding out of the driveway and towards Juno Hospital.

The trip there was mostly silent, and the two were lucky to not wait through red lights since most were oddly green.

Before Piers could even turn the engine off, Chris had slammed the passenger door behind him, running towards the entrance of the building and fumbling with his badge to gain access. He had informed another nurse after hanging up on Lauren to prepare scrubs for him and Piers as he tried to get to the ER with minimal chance of running into any of his staff in a hurry.

By the time Piers managed to catch up to Chris, he skidded to a halt. Heaving for breath as he adjusted the collar of his shirt, he looked at Lauren who was keeping her head down, hands clenched tightly together.

A few minutes later, Chris emerged from the ER, pushing the double doors open and slid his hands into the pockets of his coat. With a hand pressed against his forehead, he murmured, "Flat line. Time of death: 2:26am." Once Chris relayed the information, Lauren moved to the reception desk to inform Wendy's husband and family, leaving Piers to comprehend what had happened during the time it took for him to park Chris' car and run after his boss to try and save this woman's life.

Instead of speaking, he stepped forward and led his distraught boss to his office, unlocking it and turning on the lights. He managed to get Chris to sit at his desk before leaving to take on the responsibility of filling out the paperwork, only needing Chris' signature at the end once everything was taken care of.

Even as the early hours of dawn began to peek through the windows of the hospital, the pair was left without any words or interaction as they waited for Wendy's family to arrive. The husband was already in tears, making a scene while the rest of his relatives trailed behind him, bombarding Piers with questions and demanded to see the woman of the hour. Piers did what he could to maintain his composure and professionalism in front of the family, and informed the husband that Chris was currently occupied with matters regarding the deceased and would speak with the family very soon. As much as he was opposed to having Chris interact with anyone in his state of mind, he knew that Chris was also head of Wendy's care and needed to be present.

* * *

><p>Returning home after spending that whole day at the hospital, both men had lost track of time as they entered Chris' house. It was late again; they were exhausted, mentally and physically, and realized they had spent one of their few days off getting the hospital back in order and consulting with the grieving family that needed to take care of Wendy. After processing the body and sending her off to the morgue, Chris was relieved knowing he could have a few days off from work for a change – something he didn't normally do.<p>

He knew patients died all the time, but having known Wendy and Gary for a number of years, his emotions were out of whack after losing her. He and Piers had arrived there too late and Chris took it upon himself for not being there when he should have stayed instead of going home.

Even as he lay in bed, pressed against Piers' back, he knew he would find it a challenge to just rest. His eyes were closed, but his brain was still very active. His restlessness eventually caused him to sweat, stirring Piers from his deep thoughts.

His assistant turned over, "Babe…I'm sorry, about Wendy."

Chris said nothing and pulled Piers into an embrace.

"My ex-girlfriend was at the bar last night." Having changed the subject got the other man's attention.

"While I was gone?"

"Yeah."

Piers sat up and pressed his back against the headboard of Chris' bed, surprised by this announcement. He watched Chris follow him and let out a sigh, shaking his head.

"She and I broke it off because her job was relocating her across the globe and I was on my way out of the Air Force. I got discharged because of an injury I sustained overseas."

Piers remained silent, waiting to see if Chris had more to say. He watched the other man press his palm against his chest then, harshly rubbing away the fair skinned cover-up and peeling the flesh tone adhesive, revealing a solid grey plate that spanned the entire length of his sternum bone, nestled between his hard pectorals. There was other jagged scarring surrounding the plate, telltale signs of his service in the Air Force. Most of it was faded by now, but some still appeared irritated by the clashing metal, the long rectangular an obvious contrast to the rest of his skin.

"I don't remember what exactly happened; I only recall shouting and waking up on an operation table six days later. I'm assuming I was impaled by something and it tore my sternum bone. So now this is here to support my rib cage." He explained that hiding it was normal since he hadn't signed anything about giving his consent to having this plate get shoved into his body. But he knew there should be more to this plate than him getting it for free and then immediately discharged afterward due to his condition not being up to par anymore.

He supposed the Air Force did him a favor. But it didn't change the fact he was angry for having a piece of metal in his body for the rest of his life.

Piers remained silent for a little longer until he reached forward, running his fingertips along the length of the steel plate implanted in Chris. "Does it hurt?" His fingers touched some of the surrounding scars next as he tried to take in this new discovery about his lover. Chris caught the wandering hand in his and brought it to his lips, pressing kisses.

"Sometimes if I sleep on it wrong, I guess. But…it's the reason I'm alive today."

Nodding in affirmation, Piers moved in for a kiss, urging Chris to finally get some sleep. The other man hummed as a reply before setting the adhesive aside, the two scooting down the bed again to pull the covers over their bodies, holding one another as they just breathed to take in the insane events that occurred.

Chris attempted to blink away the exhaustion from his eyes as he stirred awake, his rough fingertips tracing the shallow lines of the dark bags on his middle-aged face. He could feel a dull throb along the tops of his lids as he turned over again in his bed, failing to push away the bleak memory of today. He never thought that she would come back into his life, a ghost that still haunted him four years later—as much as he moved on, she still held a piece of him that he couldn't get back.

She meant so much to him…

'_Dammit. Jessica..._' Chris turned over again, one of his arms slid underneath his dented pillow while the other lay idle across his pectorals, touching the warm space beside him. He hadn't noticed Piers get up, too deep in thought until he saw nothing but the wrinkled sheets and pulled back blankets in the other man's wake. Cool metal pressed against the back of his skull, affectionately nuzzling his sleep-mused hair.

He heard the soft click of the safety go off, unmoving from his position on his side.

His breathing grew shallow as he remained prone to the bed, unblinking.

Before he could say Piers' name, the assailant spoke, "Doctor Christopher Redfield, you are instructed to get up and come with me. Do not resist or I will have to use force."

Unfazed by the empty threat, Chris remained on his side, his palm and fingers curling around the grip of his SIG P226. He knew that whoever was here definitely had something to do with the highly coveted plate imbedded in his chest. His muscles tightened and tensed as he waited to turn over and be prepared to defend himself, having silently awaited the day _someone_ would come to retrieve him.

His unwanted guest pushed the gun deeper, making a show of being all business. The man ground out his demand, "You will comply."

With quick reaction, Chris thrust his handgun into his left hand as he twisted his torso a near complete one hundred eighty degrees. His posture extended all the way to how arm and wrist, his hand and index finger taut on the trigger to pull—

Another gunshot went off, some grey matter and blood spraying onto Chris' body before the deceased agent had fallen onto the side of the bed, sliding down with a hard thump. Sitting up and turning over Chris narrowed his eyes at his "savior". He kept his gun pointed towards the other figure as he saw one of his guns had been taken from him and used in his defense.

Seething, he managed to mutter, "_You._"

"Don't look at me like that…" Lowering the Blacktail, Piers set his lips in a deep, sad frown as he put the safety back on the gun before turning it over to Chris, who snatched it from other male's grip. He moved to open the side table's drawer, reaching to the underside to lift the false bottom and get his emergency magazine that was stored there. He slid and clicked the clip in its rightful place inside the SIG P226, refusing to look at the man before him.

"I—"

"I'm not entirely surprised, actually. You appearing out of nowhere wasn't a miracle, but a part of an agenda."

"Chris. Listen—"

Piers knew now wasn't the time for full-blown apologies and to relay information he had been withholding for weeks. He decided it would be easier to do any kind of talking in a much safer place rather than here. He was already completely dressed save for his shoes, which were currently at the door to Chris' backyard.

He stepped forward without any fear or risk of getting a bullet in between his eyes; the allusive male held Chris' wrist in a vice as he invaded the other man's personal space. His other hand took hold of the nape of Chris' neck, yanking him forward, mashing their lips together. The kiss was more of a fight than a moment of intimacy. The elder doctor bit at Piers in response to his ballsy move, the anger he was feeling kept him hot and irate even though he couldn't deny enjoying the kiss.

Chris was the first to pull away after Piers had drawn blood, having sank his teeth into Chris' lower lip just hard enough to split it open. Piers partook, lapping up the thin trail of crimson as his left hand began massaging the tense nerves bundled against Chris' neck. Their eyes finally viewed their opposite, and Piers was the first to speak up.

"I'm here to protect you."

* * *

><p>"This is fucking insane." Chris closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the headrest, trying to figure out who was hiding more secrets between him and Piers. It seemed that while they worked together and were physically close, they were also not completely portraying who they were as human beings.<p>

"I should have known… That letter of recommendation—was that even from Dr. Torrence? That wax seal is distinctly his. I've worked with him for years and there's no way anyone else from Galaxy would have replicated it when he's the only one that has that stamp." While his voice was even, it was evident in his tone that he was anything but happy to be rescued by a man who was claiming to be what he wasn't. Not completely, anyway.

Piers sighed as he changed gears. Convincing Chris to leave with him took more time than he thought, but he knew the man had every right to be angry—pissed, actually—at him. He had come off as this genius surgeon that had the immediate hots for his own boss, going so far as to scope him out, pick him up and have sex with him. Sure, it evolved into a relationship but that was quickly falling apart due to a very important detail that Piers "mistakenly" kept in the shadows.

Piers opened his mouth to explain but Chris cut him off, raising his hand, "All of that information in your file, about your family, is that true?"

"Yes. But…it's the only file in existence, and it was never processed at Juno Hospital."

Piers didn't need to say more when Chris could connect the dots. The staff seemingly knew Piers' identity, but he as a staff member was not in the database. He basically did not exist, and Chris supposed it was for good reason. He drove further until they were out of Raccoon City, on the highway towards the neighboring forest without looking back.

"The man who came to take you from your house, he works for the organization that gave you that steel plate in your chest eleven years ago."

"You know this because…?"

Piers cut the engine to his car before he turned to look at his lover; the smirk that crossed his handsome features was shone by the diagonal stripe of moonlight that seemed through the darkened parts of the streets with no lamps hanging overhead. "I came here of my own accord to keep them from getting to you. I used to work for them until I found out who my next target was."

Still in disbelief, Chris questioned how Piers could be in an organization like that, an agent that went rogue _and_ yet still be a medical student all in one package. He wondered if his father, if his family even knew about his real employment. His father had to have known…right?

"Why don't you just tell me what's true and how much information about yourself that you kept from me?" He huffed, rubbing his aching forehead. Having to clean off the blood and chunks of brain matter that harshly painted him like color to canvas was a bitch to deal with. It didn't exactly make leaving his house any less strenuous when he found more incapacitated bodies in his living room. He quickly drew the conclusion that Piers had taken care of the other three men out here, and given his…other credentials and skills, he now seemed more than capable of taking out whomever was sent here to take him away.

Piers drew a deep breath, uncertain of where to start.

"Piers—"

"Emiliano Nivans is my real name," he started, finishing Chris' initial thought.

He continued, "That single manila folder that holds the barest of information about me is the only one in existence. Everything else has either been blacked out, or deleted electronically."

"Your parents—"

"Don't know that I'm alive, but I don't keep in contact with them, or my brothers. They must assume every day that I'm dead."

"Robin, does he know who you are?"

"He knows about the young, brilliant, ambitious Piers Nivans who is an MPMU graduate."

"…No one on the inside?"

"None. I've been operating on my own for a while now, making it my mission to find you and make sure RAPTURE doesn't get their hands on you…again."

"You knew." Chris' tone changed into an accusing one; he snarled and was half-tempted to punch the window out once thunder sounded in the distance, followed by progressive rain.

"Not exactly. I had a rising suspicion that you were Test Subject Icarus because the description given to me matches to the T. But after seeing the adhesive on your chest and you eventually peeling it off yourself, that confirmed my observations."

Before Piers thought about continuing his long explanation, he slowed the car in front of a cabin. Stopping the car and turning off the headlights, he looked over at his former boss, another sad frown finding itself upon his focused visage. Clicking the button to release his seatbelt, he made a bold move by climbing across the divider, firmly placing himself in Chris' lap, pushing against the other man's resistance.

"Hold me accountable for not being completely honest with you about my identity, but for everything else, for what we share…none of it was a lie." His eyebrows furrowed together as he sought out Chris' eyes, seeing them looking anywhere but at the man currently straddling him during a rain storm.

"Christopher. Look at me."

With some reluctance, Chris obliged._ Piers had never regarded him by his full name before.__  
><em>

Piers' eyelids lowered, he leaned forward to obscure their visions, and noses touching as his cool breath tickled Chris' chapped lips.

"You…are _mine._"

The declaration was sealed with a possessive kiss.


End file.
